Friday, May 05, 2017

I write Christian fiction because I enjoy reading it and
because I see my writing as a ministry. I hope that each book will encourage
someone in their faith walk.

Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

That has to be three-way tie between my wedding day, the day
my son was born, and the day my daughter was born.

How has being
published changed your life?

Being published is wonderful because it lets me get feedback
from readers. I’m especially grateful to readers who leave reviews and to my
wonderful street team members, who read my books before they are published and
help promote them. (Information about joining my street team is available on my
website.)

What are you reading
right now?

I’m reading A Year of
Weddings Collection. It’s twelve contemporary Christian romance novellas,
one for each month. I’m currently in A
June Bride by Marybeth Whalen.

What is your current
work in progress?

I’m working on Book 2 in The Abundance Series, which
features Abby, the widowed antique-store owner who appeared in both Books 1 and
1.5, Love at Sunset Lake and Love
and Harmony.

What would be your
dream vacation?

Any warm beach by the ocean. I love seeing and listening to
the waves.

How do you choose
your settings for each book?

My books are all set in small towns because I’m a small-town
girl. The current series is set in Missouri,
where I grew up. I’m in the early stages of planning a series that will take
place in Appalachian Ohio, where I now live.

If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I guess it would sound really sappy to say my husband, since
I spend almost every evening with him, but he’s the person who first came to
mind. Hmm, next choice…Beth Moore. I love her Bible studies and her spunk.

What are your
hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I like birdwatching, kayaking, swimming, baking, shoe
shopping, and watching BBC mysteries. I’ve been trying running, just a tiny bit
at a time, but that one’s still up for debate.

What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

My biggest obstacle is turning the messy first draft into a
second draft that makes sense. I overcome it by giving myself little goals and
plowing through them, checking them off one by one. There might also be some
moaning and small amounts of chocolate involved.

What advice would you
give to a beginning author?

Read about a hundred books in the genre you want to write.
Then read more, inside and outside that genre. Read the book Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.
Join a critique group. Enter contests to get unbiased feedback. Do something
like National Novel Writing Month, where you get encouragement to finish a
first draft. Subscribe to Writer’s Digest,
a magazine that costs about $20 a year. And know without a doubt that even
multi-published, amazing authors struggle. (This was an eye-opener for me. I
thought it was easy for them.)

Tell us about the
featured book.

Love and Harmony is a contemporary Christian romance about the
reunion of a couple that first fell in love as teenagers at church camp. The
back of the book says:

The first boy she ever kissed just walked back into her
life—and crashed into her plans.

She needs to redeem herself…

Music teacher Becky Hamlin is seeking harmony—both in the blended voices of her
students and in her small hometown of Abundance, Missouri. But after last
summer, when her bad judgment left the town vulnerable, things have felt off
key. Becky hopes to make amends by holding a benefit concert for the local food
pantry. If the event is a success, she might even have a shot at her dream job.
And now that her former crush, Seth Williams, has moved to town, she could
really have it all—a great concert to benefit the community, a more secure
teaching position, and a chance at love.

He needs to prove himself…

Seth Williams has his hands full, raising his sixteen-year-old half-brother and
starting a new job as an interim high school principal. When he realizes that
the gorgeous local choir director is the girl he fell for at church camp years
ago, he’s more determined than ever to convince the school board to make his
position permanent. But the faith Seth once shared with Becky is no longer
common ground.

The spark between them needs a second chance…

As the logistics of her concert cause problems with his job, will the discord
make a relationship impossible or will their renewed love, along with God’s
abundant grace, allow them to overcome every obstacle?

Please give us the
first page of the book.

With every new calendar year and every new school semester
came a chance to begin again, to become the person you were meant to be. Or the
person you once had been but somehow lost.

Yep. Seth Williams nodded. Today, January 7, was the first
day of a new semester at a new high school, and it was time for Tony, his
half-brother, to get back on track.

Seth was starting over as well. His new job as interim
principal at Tony’s school meant big challenges, but they were challenges he
was willing to face if it meant Tony might get his life straightened out.
Stepping in mid-year—after the previous principal, his secretary, and the
athletic director had been fired for misappropriating funds—would require
flexibility, which was not Seth’s strongest suit.

How can readers find
you on the Internet?

My website is www.sallybayless.com. Readers can find
excerpts from all my books there, can email me, and can sign up for my
newsletter and my street team. Newsletter subscribers are the first to learn
when I release a new book.

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